{"id":35159,"date":"2022-08-30T18:18:58","date_gmt":"2022-08-30T23:18:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=35159"},"modified":"2022-08-30T18:18:58","modified_gmt":"2022-08-30T23:18:58","slug":"oklahoma-governor-kevin-stitt-holds-1000-per-plate-fundraiser-while-anti-turnpike-protestors-demonstrate-outside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2022\/08\/30\/oklahoma-governor-kevin-stitt-holds-1000-per-plate-fundraiser-while-anti-turnpike-protestors-demonstrate-outside\/","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt holds $1000-per-plate fundraiser while anti-turnpike protestors demonstrate outside"},"content":{"rendered":"

Supporters of Gov. Kevin Stitt were met with a barrage of turnpike protestors outside of a Tuesday morning campaign fundraising luncheon. The governor \u2014 whose event advertised a suggested $1,000 donation per plate \u2014 entered and exited through a side door and never acknowledged demonstrators.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Beth Wallis\/StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n

Gov. Kevin Stitt enters through a side door. Stitt did not acknowledge the group of protestors at the front of the building.<\/p>\n<\/div>

About twenty protestors from the anti-turnpike organization <\/span>Pike Off OTA<\/span><\/a> carried signs, spoke through a bullhorn and held crime scene tape outside of the fundraiser held at the Association of Oklahoma General Contractors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Pike Off OTA \u2014 whose <\/span>Facebook boasts over 8,000 members<\/span><\/a> \u2014 was formed after the announcement of the $5 billion, 15-year <\/span>ACCESS Oklahoma turnpike project<\/span><\/a>. The ACCESS program includes several new turnpike paths \u2014 three of which the organization says will wipe out over 600 homes.<\/span><\/p>

Pike Off has mounted an active opposition to the plans: it\u2019s held informational events, filed <\/span>two<\/span><\/a> lawsuits<\/span><\/a>, rallied lawmakers to limit the OTA\u2019s reach <\/span>through<\/span><\/a> legislation<\/span><\/a>, successfully called for a <\/span>legislative interim study<\/span><\/a> on the OTA and continues to push for an independent audit of the agency.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Beth Wallis\/StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n

A demonstrator holds up crime scene tape in front of the Association of Oklahoma General Contractors, where the fundraiser was held.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Most demonstrators are residents whose homes are in the paths of several proposed turnpike routes in and around Norman. Protestor Roberta Provost, who is 80 years old, said the news of her home being demolished to make way for a toll road was devastating.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI would\u2019ve died there. That\u2019s my home,\u201d Provost said. \u201cI raised my grandkids there. I have my memories there. The peace and quiet, the deer. It\u2019s killing us. It really is killing us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Though Provost is a Republican, she said Stitt has lost her vote.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI feel betrayed by the state because like a dummy, I voted for [Stitt],\u201d Provost said. \u201cBelieve me, I\u2019m not voting for him this year. I\u2019ll vote Democrat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Provost\u2019s opinion echoes that of other Pike Off Republicans. Terrie Clubb, whose house is also in the path of one of the proposed extensions, said Stitt should follow the state Republican party platform, <\/span>which explicitly calls for a moratorium on new turnpike construction<\/span><\/a> until the existing turnpikes are paid off.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m a Republican, and he\u2019s going to force me to vote for a Democrat,\u201d Clubb said. \u201c[Oklahoma is] going to be in debt forever. We will be paying for this 100 years from now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Beth Wallis\/StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n

Demonstrators gather with signs in front of the fundraising event.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Turnpike opponents are quick to point out what they say is a telling sign the state doesn\u2019t need any more toll roads: on average, turnpike revenues amount to less than 63% of initial five-year projections, according to a <\/span>2016 investigation by The Oklahoman<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

State transportation officials argue new routes are necessary to divert traffic from I-35 in and around the Oklahoma City area, but Pike Off members contend the new routes won\u2019t make enough of a difference to justify the displacement of hundreds of Oklahoma families.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Beth Wallis\/StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n

A Pike Off demonstrator speaks through a bullhorn aimed at building housing the fundraiser. “I would just like to say,” she said. “A man of integrity would walk out here, walk on those steps, come down on the grass knoll and say, \u2018I want to talk to you.\u2019”<\/p>\n<\/div>

Clubb said she doesn\u2019t want to leave the community she and her husband have lived in and loved for 12 years, but she may have to.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cWith all the turnpikes Oklahoma is allowing, why would I ever stay in this state?\u201d Clubb said. \u201cThere\u2019s just nothing here for us anymore.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Supporters of Gov. Kevin Stitt were met with a barrage of turnpike protestors outside of a Tuesday morning campaign fundraising luncheon. The governor \u2014 whose event advertised a suggested $1,000 donation per plate \u2014 entered and exited through a side door and never acknowledged demonstrators.About twenty protestors from the anti-turnpike organization Pike Off OTA carried […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":216,"featured_media":35160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[492,301,16,1],"tags":[1404,1396,1395,1449],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35159"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/216"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35159"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35167,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35159\/revisions\/35167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}